Learn Hebrew: City of Haifa

A beautiful combination of blue sea and green mountains.

Israel's third-largest city, Haifa, full of diversity, heterogeneity and harmony; a city of unique people and glorious beauty. Located on the slopes of Mount Carmel (), and surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, Haifa (Cheifa - ) is the largest and most important city in northern Israel.

Israelis call Haifa the city of the laborers ( -- ir hapo'alim), or the Sleeping Beauty. A popular phrase says: "Haifa works, Jerusalem prays, and Tel-Aviv plays." It all began with one of nature's gifts to the city of the Carmel () -- a large. natural bay that brought much industry and employment to Haifa during the modern era. Haifa is home to two oil refineries (built by the British in the 1930s) and its port is the oldest of the three major ports in Israel. Approximately one million people live In Haifa and its vicinity, supporting a major part of Israel's industrial backbone. Haifa's history dates back to the Late Bronze Age (14th century BCE) when it functioned as a small port city. During biblical times, the Prophet Elijah () conducted a contest of power on Mount Carmel -- between the pagan gods (Ba'al) and the God of Israel. After the pagan prophets prayed without success, Elijah asked God to accept his sacrifice -- and fire fell from the sky, igniting the sacrifice.

Elijah the prophet brought much diversity to Haifa: The Carmelites made Haifa their center, as they saw Elijah as the one who brought God's light and took away the pagan darkness. They built a monastery and a church next to Elijah's cave, in which it is believed that Elijah hid from the Ba'al believers and from King Ahav.

Haifa is known for the coexistence of a large variety of religions and people. There are religious and secular Jews, Christian-Arabs and Muslim-Arabs, Druse, Bahai, and Christians living together in relative peace and harmony. Around the month of December, Haifa celebrates the "Holiday of Holidays Festival" () -- a festival that reflects the human mosaic of Haifa's residents and the good relationships amongst its diverse population. Haifa is closely associated with the Bahai faith -- a monotheistic religion founded by Bahaullah in the 19th century in Persia. The Bahai World Center is located in Haifa. The headquarters of the Bahai are in Haifa because Israel's liberal democracy is the only country in the Middle East where a Bahai Temple is allowed. The northern slope of Mount Carmel is decorated with the hanging gardens that were planned and built by the Bahai devotees. These beautiful gardens were proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The origin of the name Haifa is unclear. It might have come from the Hebrew root which means "to cover or shield," referring to Mount Carmel that covers Haifa. It might also be a conjunction of the words "" (chof, beach) and "" (yaffe, pretty). Haifa is home to two internationally acclaimed universities and several colleges. The Technion -- Israel Institute of Technology ( (was founded in the early 20th century as a school of engineering and science. It was the only higher learning institution in Israel during the Ottoman period (together with the Bezalel Academy of Art in Jerusalem). Around 1912 there was a major debate regarding the language of instruction: at that time, Hebrew was considered inappropriate for scientific studies and it was proposed to teach in German. Eventually, the Hebrew language was adopted. The original building of the Technion later became the Israel National Museum of Science, Technology and Space -- called (MadaTech -- "science and technology").

Wherever you look in Haifa, you can find beauty -- the beaches, the bay, the blue sea and the green mountains. The climate is relatively good due to the breeze from the sea and the height of the mountains. It is a wonderful place to live, love, study and work -- and a relaxing and interesting place to visit.

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About the Author

Shira Cohen-Regev has a Masters Degree from the University of Pittsburgh in Child Development and Social Work. She taught and tutored Hebrew as a Second Language both online and in academic settings. She is currently employed by the Israeli Ministry of Education.

I want to know about the concept of "sin" due to Adam and Eve eating from the Tree of Knowledge. The Christian concept of sin revolves around the fall of the man and the "original sin." Does Judaism view it the same way?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Adam and Eve were punished according to their actions. In other words, God laid down the conditions for Adam and Eve to live in the garden, provided they would not eat from the Tree of Knowledge. However, if they were to eat from that tree they would be punished by experiencing death. (If they had not eaten from the tree, they would have remained immortal.)

This sets down the basic principle in Judaism of Reward and Punishment. Basic to this is that every person has the choice of doing good or bad. When a person chooses "good" – as defined by God – he is able to draw close to God. In other words, every individual has a chance to "gain salvation" through his own actions.

My understanding of Christianity, however, is that the Original Sin has infected all of mankind to the point where individuals are incapable of achieving salvation through their own initiative. Man is "totally depraved" and therefore his only hope of salvation is through the cross.

This belief is contrary to the teachings of Judaism. From the Torah perspective, an individual does not need to rely on anyone else to atone for them. In Judaism, sins can be "erased" altogether by sincere repentance and a firm resolution never to repeat the mistakes.

For more on this, read "Their Hollow Inheritances" by Michael Drazin – www.drazin.com

Yahrtzeit of Moses in 1273 BCE (Jewish year 2488), on the same day of his birth 120 years earlier. (Consequently, "May you live to 120" has become a common Jewish blessing.) Moses was born in Egypt at a time when Pharaoh had decreed that all Jewish baby boys be drowned in the Nile River. His mother set him afloat in a reed basket, where he was -- most ironically -- discovered by Pharaoh's daughter and brought to Pharaoh's palace to be raised. When Moses matured, his heart turned to aid the Jewish people; he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Jew, and he fled to Midian where he married and had two sons. God spoke to Moses at the Burning Bush, instructing him to return to Egypt and persuade Pharaoh to "let My people go." Moses led the Jews through the ten plagues, the Exodus, and the splitting of the Red Sea. Seven weeks later, the Jews arrived at Mount Sinai and received the Torah, the only time in human history that an entire nation experienced Divine revelation. Over the next 40 years, Moses led the Jews through wanderings in the desert, and supervised construction of the Tabernacle. Moses died before being allowed to enter the promised Land of Israel. He is regarded as the greatest prophet of all time.

Lack of gratitude is at the root of discontent. In order to be consistently serene, we must master the attribute of being grateful to the Creator for all His gifts. As the Torah (Deuteronomy 26:11) states, "Rejoice with all the good the Almighty has given you." This does not negate our wanting more. But it does mean that we have a constant feeling of gratitude since as long as we are alive, we always have a list of things for which to be grateful.

[Just before Moses' death] God said to him, "This is the Land that I promised to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob" (Deuteronomy 34:4).

The Midrash says that Moses pleaded to live long enough to be able to enter the Promised Land. He surrendered his soul only after God instructed him to enter Heaven and inform the Patriarchs that the Israelites had come to their Land and that God had indeed fulfilled His promise to give the Land of Israel to their descendants. To fulfill God's will was dearer to Moses than his craving to enter the Land.

It is only natural to cling to life, and the thought of leaving this world is depressing. However, if a person develops the attitude that he lives only in order to fulfill God's will, then life and death are no longer polar opposites, because he lives to do the will of God, and when that will requires that he leave this world, he will be equally obedient.

The seventh day of Adar is the anniversary of Moses' death. He wanted to enter the Promised Land so that he could fulfill the commandments and thereby have a new opportunity to fulfill the Divine wish. He surrendered his soul willingly when he was told that there was a special commandment for him to perform, one that could only be achieved after leaving this earth.

We refer to Moses as Rabbeinu, our teacher. He not only taught us didactically, but by means of everything he did in his life - and by his death, as well.

Today I shall...

try to dedicate my life to fulfilling the will of God, so that even when that will contradicts my personal desires, I can accept it with serenity.

With stories and insights,
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